Two

Mia Jayden

Mia wore her black cape and tiptoed to the door, trying to be as quiet as a mouse while pressing her ear to the wooden door to listen for sounds.

Her heart jumped to her throat when the thought of what she was about to do filled her head. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she pulled the door open when she could hear the distant chatter of the maids in their various shifts.

She snuck out of her room and plastered against the blue walls of the hallway, which had many paintings of the alphas that reigned before her dad. With a heaving chest, she stealthily made her way into the wing that led to the grand foyer. This wing had ornaments and flower vases around it with paintings of the past Lunas.

'Where are you?' Mia's friend mind-linked her and she juddered, holding her breath not to give herself away.

'I'm doing the hard part, can you not do that next time?' Mia glanced from left to right and was about to climb down the stairs when she saw a guard approaching. She rushed back, hiding behind the statue of her grandfather.

She squeezed her eyes shut, palming her mouth to stay calm. The guard trudged past the statue and halted, slowly curling his fingers around the head of his blade. He glanced around and shrugged before walking away.

Mia let out a breath, nursing her chest to stop her erratic heart.

'I'm trying to sneak out,' she responded.

When she reached the last staircase, she peered at the guards that stood on each side of the large door.

She gulped, striding to the door with her head high.

"Good day, your highness," the guards chorused.

"Hi, how do you do?" Mia beamed, voice like that of a Nightingale.

"Very well, we thank you." They offered her a curt bow and she nodded her head, making her way to the door. "Are you going out?"

Mia blinked once then twice, stopping in her tracks and wracking her brain for something to say.

"Excuse me?" She smiled, showing off her canines and pearly whites.

"The queen ordered us to not-"

"Oh, I'm not going far." Mia shrugged.

"But the Queen-"

Mia was quick to cut him short

"No worries, I already got her permission." She smiled brightly attempting to skip past the guards.

They stood their ground and even went as far as joining shoulders, successfully closing the tiny space between them.

"Your highness." Perz called out after her.

Mia cursed under her breath, "Perz the head guard just had to make an appearance."

Perz was a highly clever and skilled man and Mia hated him for it. He always managed to obstruct her fun. He had guarded the Diamond Shadow Parks palace since he was but a boy and now he was in his mid 50s and a total pain in the ass.

"Oh, Perz. How lovely it is of you to make an appearance." Mia managed to maintain her smile. "Now tell your guards to let me through."

"I'm afraid I'd have to send Theo up to confirm your claim, mi lady." Perz ignored her order as he, with the wave of his hand, assigned said assignment to Theo his right hand man.

"Of course, you should but only if you'd want to risk getting reprimanded by the Queen for interrupting her very private time with her husband." Mia stated trying to sound as carefree as possible blowing imaginary dust off her fingers

Theo stopped dead in his tracks. His face contorted in confusion as he looked at Perz who was shooting daggers at a smiling Mia.

She knew he'd never risk interrupting anything intimate between her parents not by sending a guard, neither by mind linking him.

     

Mia hoped he would buy her lie because her cheeks were killing her from all the smiling.

With another wave of his hand, he made Mia's silent wish come true. The guards parted their shoulders, giving room for free passage.

 

Mia skipped past them, smiling brightly.

"Miss Mia," Perz called and she glanced over her shoulder at him. "Be safe."

"Sure will." She assured, throwing open the doors as she made her way to meet Rain who had been waiting for her just outside the palace door.

"That took longer than it used to."

Rain was quick to point out.

"You're losing your touch."

Rain moved quickly towards the woods.

"No, I'm not." Mia retorted defensively trying to keep up with her pace.

"Right," Rain said sarcastically.

"Yeah. Just missed my little chit chats with Perz."

"Whatever, Mi." Rain was quick to shut her up before she went on about how fabulous her "chit chats" with Perz usually went.

Mia glared playfully at Rain as she walked briskly past the gate. Mia waved the guards stationed there. She never had an issue with them as they never stopped her 'cause once she passed the palace doors, she was good to go.

They both made their way behind the first tree they could find to strip out of their clothes.

"Ready?" Rain smiled mischievously at Mia. Moments like this helped remind Mia why they were best friends. They had similar energies.

"Was born ready." Mia was bubbling with excitement as they both shifted into their wolf form taking off into the forest.

*****

"You guys are awfully late,"

Steph complained when Mia and Rain got to the others.

Mia and Rain had changed back into their clothes just before reaching the others with Mia still adjusting her jean

"As usual," Kala said in a bored tone looking really upset, while Cade remained quiet.

They were all complete. Their clique of five

"Take a chill pill, Kal. We aren't that late,"

Rain retorted sharply.

"You should have been here over an-"

"Okay, okay that's enough. We're sorry we're late." Mia quickly cut in. They were here to have fun not settle quarrels between Kal and Rain.

"So who's ready for some fun?!"

Mia said cheerily. Smiling brightly and causing the others to follow suit.

They all laughed as they made their way deeper into the forest.

The day was no longer young and darkness was fast descending on them.

There was no way they could hunt in the dark so they had to be quick.

Today, they were to hunt down a reindeer which Mia was positive she'd win but to her total dismay, she lost to Steph who hadn't stopped teasing her on how terrible she was at hunting.

Rain and Kal had gotten into another fight so they hadn't participated much in the hunt. Cade had tried to stop them from killing each other so he hadn't participated much either. Sincerely, he wouldn't have either way, he was just that dude who preferred to 'just observe' as he'd often defend.

"The only reason you beat me this time was because I was too distracted with Rain and Kal."

Mia defended as they all sat by a fire place where they roasted their prized reindeer.

"Don't try to pin this on us, Mi." Kal simply stated while they all watched her in amusement.

"And besides, Steph always kicks your ass."

Cade added and Steph smiled in victory.

"Whatever," Mia said playfully, while they all joked at her expense.

After drunk dancing and playing amongst themselves, Cade decided to tell the group a story.

"It's a story about the very ground we sit on." Cade started, widening his green eyes.

"I hate the sound of that." Kal complained. Mia couldn't help but agree.

"Don't be such a baby." Steph scolded.

"Well, like I said earlier, it's about this very land." Cade continued. "Legends have it that there was once a man possessed with a demon wolf. He was the alpha of his pack and whenever this demon came over him, he would lose control of himself and hurt anyone and everyone he could."

Kal drew closer to Mia who was in no way enjoying the story. 

"One day, he even killed his family when he was possessed by this demon. He lost everything by his own hands. He is said to have come to this same grounds and took his own life when he realized what he had done to his family."

Mia's heart skipped a beat and beads of sweat lined up on her forehead. Horror stricken, they stared at Cade in utmost silence.

"How true is your story?" Mia asked, breaking the story.

Cade only shrugged sipping from his drink, seeming unconcerned.

"That was disturbing."

Rain stated and they all agreed, giggling. Deep down, they knew they all loved scary stories.

Next Steph graced the occasion with another really disturbing story about a kid gone missing in the woods and was never found.

"That's enough!" Kal screamed at Steph, causing Mia and the others to guffaw.